Happy 2012! The holiday decorations that brought us so much joy have been taken down, all that remains of the cookies is the crumbs, and what lingers is the warm memories of the precious time spent with family and friends celebrating the season. Now we have a new year to embrace, and resolutions and goals to meet to help us focus on all the opportunities and challenges that await us in this coming year.

Clearly your health should be at the top of any list of priorities, and at the Augusta Regional Free Clinic, health, well-being and lifestyle modification are key considerations for our patients. Weight loss, smoking cessation, proper nutrition, increased fitness, physical activity and exercise, and stress reduction are several common sense strategies that many of our patients and many of us will strive to undertake or improve in the coming months. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), chronic diseases - such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis - are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health problems in the U.S. In the current and coming issues, I will discuss the Clinic programs designed to combat and treat chronic disease.

Since January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, I wanted to share the ways the Augusta Regional Free Clinic impacts the community by offering uninsured, income eligible women (who make up 75% of our patients), access to our Women's Health program. The Clinic provided more than 700 women's health appointments this past year through on-site breast and cervical screenings. The provision of mammograms and other related diagnostic services, and patient education, were made available through our collaborations with Augusta Health and other community providers, The Central Virginia Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and the Every Woman's Life program. Women's health exams consist of a clinical breast exam, pelvic exam and Pap test if clinically appropriate. In the past year, 635 mammograms were completed for new and existing patients, leading to the discovery of 3 malignancies. ARFC patients who are diagnosed with cancer are enrolled in the Every Woman's Life Program and receive their cancer treatment and all other medical care during treatment free of charge. And we are excited to share that the Augusta Regional Free Clinic will be the new home of the area's Every Woman's Life Program, formerly with VaLiance Health.

Your support of the Augusta Regional Free Clinic makes you an important player in continuing the Women's Health and other programs designed to keep our community healthy. Thank you for donating your time, talents and resources to us this past year and for helping us realize our goals for 2012!

Yours in health,

Margaret Hersh

Executive Director